Grieving sons' funeral woe

A GRIEVING pensioner who couldn't afford to bury his wife has also died - leaving his son struggling with the cost of two funerals. Harry Clarke, 75, died from a 'broken heart' after he was unable to cope with the death of his wife of 40 years, Kathleen.

A GRIEVING pensioner who couldn't afford to bury his wife has also died - leaving his son struggling with the cost of two funerals.

Harry Clarke, 75, died from a 'broken heart' after he was unable to cope with the death of his wife of 40 years, Kathleen.

She died in May and her body is still in the mortuary at Stepping Hill Hospital because her husband was unable to raise the money to pay for her funeral.

Now Harry has died and his son Gary Clarke, 38, is faced with the prospect of organising the funerals of both his parents and is also unable to afford them.

Harry was taken to Stepping Hill after he stopped breathing at his home in Neston Grove, Adswood, Stockport, on June 19.

Gary said: "My dad died from a broken heart. He told me to put on his black shirt and 10 minutes later he was gone."

He added: "I just want to see them both laid to rest so that I can start to grieve properly, but I don't know what I'm going to do. It needs sorting out. I'm on disability benefits myself and I've now been told it will cost about £3,200 for both funerals."

He said the family was inundated with offers to cover the cost of Kathleen's funeral after the M.E.N covered the story about his dad being unable to pay for her to be buried.

But Gary said the companies making the offers later backed out.

Harry met his wife when he was working as a showbiz promoter in the late 1960s. Kathleen rang him up looking for work as a singer.

Harry said he went to a private funeral director and was quoted £2,000 for Kathleen's funeral. He said he then went to social services and was told he could have a free funeral - only to be later told it would actually cost £1,600.A council spokesman said social services had simply been a point of contact between Mr Clarke and the hospital's bereavement services.

The council spokesman said: "We appreciate this a very difficult and emotional time for the family. We will continue to work closely with the family."

But Harry told the M.E.N. in an interview shortly before his death: "We can't get her laid to rest so she will have to lie there and we will carry on with the festivities. I wash my hands of it.

"The funeral directors are trying to get £1,600 out of me and I don't have 1,600p. This is what she would have wanted."

He added: "The same thing can happen to me. In fact, we won't even bother with funeral directors when I go - I am just going to tell my son to throw me in the river at Bramhall."

His son Gary, from Stockport, who is being supported by his brother Ian, is now having to weigh the cost of both funerals.

He said: "My dad had no money to leave behind and now I'm stuck. I don't feel the authorities have done enough to help us. I just want to give my parents a good send off so that we can grieve."

A spokesman for Stockport council said: "We would like to offer our condolences to Gary and other family members following the death of Mr Clarke.

"This is a very difficult and emotional time for Gary and we have been providing him with all the necessary support.

"We have also been helping him with his application for funding from the Department of Works and Pensions to cover funeral costs for his parents.

"We will continue to work closely with Gary and other family members."

A spokesman for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital's bereavement services, said he could not comment when asked if the bodies of both Mrs and Mrs Clarke were being held in its mortuary.

But Dr Chris Burke, chief executive of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Stockport NHS Foundation Trust was saddened to hear the news of the death of Harry Clarke and we send our sincere condolences to his family.